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Topic: Graduation Party... 'Tis the season. (Read 2065 times)

I will be graduating in three short weeks and my parents have decided to throw a party in my honor. I am thrilled, and have been helping me mom with the plans.

Everything seems to be going along nicely... we have food, music, drinks, decorations, and a "memory table" all set. The last kink in the plans is favors. My mother believes they are a must. I am unsure, as this is a college graduation party.

As of right now, we are thinking of raffling off the centerpieces (nice potted flowers) and sending a photograph with me and the guest in the thank you card (we're putting disposable cameras on the tables, hoping for good candids).

Two questions to pose to you. If you were to attend a family/close friends party, would you expect favors (outside of what I have mentioned)? If we go the route of favors, do you have any good ideas?

Favours?!? Why on earth would you need favours for a graduation party?

What's wrong with just giving people a nice party? Why do they need a handful of trinkets or else the whole thing is a disaster?

It just seems REALLY silly to me.

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Not buy tickets, but give them to one person at a table (pretty much whoever wants them can have them). I suppose "raffle" was a bad choice of words, there.

I have attended showers where the centerpiece was given to the person whose plate had a sticker placed underneath it. I've also been to parties where the centerpieces were given to the last to leave, or to the one who helped out the most, or to whoever the hostess wanted to have it. It was always discreet though, "Oh mom, you were so helpful, here, why don't you take these flowers home? They would look beautiful on your table."

Sibby

I wold not expect a favor but if I ws to get one I would expect it to be a token of sorts, like a lollipop that says "congratulations!" or something of that 'under a dollar' sort.Personally I think consumable favors are the best - no clutter in my home.Best favors I've ever seen are when hosts set up a coffee station with disposable cups and send guests off with a choice of bottled water or to-go cup of coffee and a small snack for the car ride.

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Kena

I would say favors are unnecessary at a graduation party, but sometimes you can't win with moms....

If your mom insists on having favors at the party, you could suggest a compromise. Instead of a trinket, you could give guests individually wrapped chocolates or candies with your name, graduation year, and high school on them, or those custom M&Ms with your initials on them. That way your guests can choose to take home a tasty little treat rather than something that may just collect dust.

I think that the raffle may ruffle a few of your guests' feathers, though. It's traditional (at least where I live) to give a graduate cash to pay for college or living expenses. Asking your guests to bid on centerpieces after the fact may come off as a bit grabby. I do like the idea of stickering plates and giving the centerpieces to the winners, but this may be a bit difficult to track if you have more of an informal party where people are coming and going at all times.

BittyB

You may already be planning on this, but I wouldn't mention the "raffle" in the invitations - I got that you said they were free tickets, and it seems like it'll be fun, but if it's just listed on an invite people might get confused and think it was a paid raffle (like we did). No need to ruffle feathers on accident - it could just be a fun surprise.

On the favors: they are not necessary but if your mum insists then compromise. Do something edible, like little chocolates or lollis - I like the idea above of the 'congratulations!' suckers. Sometimes you can find these little shaped candy suckers on long sticks for 25c each at party stores or mall shops that have impulse items, and those might make a good favour because they are really cheap, edible, and they're cute (usually they come as flower shapes, or stars, or things like that, and in different candy colors). Also since they aren't chocolate you have less to worry about with chocolate allergies.

twinkletoes

"I would say favors are unnecessary at a graduation party, but sometimes you can't win with moms.... "

My thought exactly!

If you feel as though you must give favors, make it something edible. It's also "wedding season," which means people are already inundated with this stuff. At least make it something they can snack on/drink.